Canadian Retailer - Store 2013 - 44

STORE 2013 ERA AWARDS

TALENT DEVELOPMENT

TRAINED TO SELL

Flexible, real-world training to wow
the customer
AFTER 10 YEARS of using the same classroom- SELLING INSPIRED SOLUTIONS
based employee training program, Staples decided it was time for a change.
With customers becoming mobile and savvy
about product, the company knew it had to get
training out of the physical classroom and off the
shoulders of store managers. Knowing how to sell
is no longer a “once-in-a-while” kind of training—
not with customers tapping their smartphones
for product information every time they enter the
store, and demanding more from each sales person they encounter.
“We needed our new program to be flexible, accessible and repeatable,” says Debra MacDonald,
a regional vice-president at Staples. “It had to be
24/7 accessible and something employees could
repeat until the message sticks.”
Staples upping the customer service offering.
And with fierce competition between retailers,
Staples needed a program that would improve revenue and satis- “They could take their learning to the floor and
fy store employees’ desire for a high quality work experience.
role play with managers. They could take what
“On top of all that, we had the challenge to keep the training they’re learning and use it right away in real
program simple,” says MacDonald.
world practice.”

Training anytime, anywhere

44 |

Hard results

The solution to Staples’ challenge was “Inspired Selling,” a
new training system that reaches sales employees at 300 stores.
The program resides online, not the classroom, and it uses videos, exercises and a reinforcement strategy to teach employees
how to sell Staples’ product. “Inspired Selling” is bilingual and
customizable to each individual learner, meaning employees can
learn at their own pace and retake lessons as often as needed.
With such a wide audience to serve, the company had concern
that the new program might underserve the needs of some sales employees. After all, how can a training program educate newbies concerning the basics without ignoring the questions of veteran sellers?
Staples solved the problem by bringing in Graff Retail, an
outside training company, and leveraging the expertise of veterans to help construct the program. What Staples ended up
with was a multi-level training program that services the educational needs of both kinds of learners.
“For experienced sellers, the course has been a great reminder,” says MacDonald.
“For new associates it taught them the basics of selling in an
online format, in a way that spoke to them.”
The online program also included coaching sessions with
managers, giving new sellers a blended learning experience.

“Inspired Selling” has delivered on all fronts,
says MacDonald, especially in the area of customer service. Since instituting the program in
the fall of 2011, MacDonald says the company
has seen customer service ratings increase in
a way that shows “real improvement.”
“Customers recommend our associates. They
see us as a trusted advisor,” says MacDonald.
“The relationship the associate builds with customers over the course of the sale has had that
effect. That metric has really gone up nicely.”
Along with improved customer satisfaction
and increased revenue, Staples has an educational infrastructure that it can adapt quickly
to changes in the market and employees. Even
within individual departments.
“We’re able to morph the program for the
different parts of the business. Copy centre,
aisles associates, cashiers, receivers who interface with customers in different ways—we can
shape the training to suit each of those needs,”
says MacDonald.

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